Marked fall in ovarian cancer deaths is attributed to oral contraceptive use

Death rates from ovarian cancer fell markedly in the European Union, Oceania, and the United States from 2002 to 2012 with larger declines among younger women than among middle aged and older women, a study has found. More modest declines were seen in Latin America and Japan.

The researchers considered the main reason for the decrease to be the use of oral contraceptives, which have been shown to have a long term protective effect against ovarian cancer risk. Oral contraceptives were introduced earlier in the EU and the US than elsewhere, which may explain why these regions have seen the greatest reductions in ovarian cancer, the researchers said.